Distracted Driving has been getting a lot of attention lately.  Even Oprah is getting in on the act.  This is a good thing but most of the attention appears directed towards eliminating, reducing, punishing or at least educating Distracted Drivers.  For those of us who already get it, a more important focus might be on how we can defend ourselves from said drivers.

Distracted Drivers are after all, Road Hazards in the first degree.  They are the direct opposite of Driverthink Drivers who consistently focus on their driving.  Distracted Drivers focus on – anything but!

In an effort to defend against these threats, Driverthink has taken to breaking the Distracted Driver into three basic categories.  They are the Unwillingly Distracted, the Unknowingly Distracted and the Blatantly Distracted drivers.

Unwillingly distracted?  Of course!  How many times have we ourselves been suddenly distracted from our driving by events out of our control?  This driver knows she’s driving though, and will usually recover from the distraction quickly. 

The Unknowingly Distracted driver is a different animal.  These drivers don’t take their driving very seriously.  They haven’t learned yet that engaging in an activity which can kill you, generally requires more than casual attention.  They don’t understand what a Road Hazard is and probably won’t recognize one until it becomes an emergency.  You don’t want to be that “emergency”. 

A second Unknowingly Distracted driver has been mesmerized, perhaps by miles of uneventful driving.  He’s drifted into never-never land but will most likely recover quickly when he realizes it – or when events dictate.

The Blatantly Distracted driver is the one that really insults us but at least they can be easily identified.  Their distracting endeavors are much more important to them than their safety or the safety of others and they really don’t care who knows it.  Often, they’re oblivious to anyone or anything around them.  Perhaps the distraction makes them feel more important.  They’ll be less important though, when they’re dead! 

So how do we best defend ourselves from Distracted Drivers?

 
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Situational awareness is always a critical factor when driving but we usually tend to focus only on the vehicles around us.  How is the car behaving?  True, a distracted driver may very well exhibit erratic vehicle behavior but not always.  To defend against the distracted driver we have to elevate our situational awareness.  We have to get a little more personal. 

We need to peek thru their windows and get to know the people in those buggies. It’s not guns that kill – it’s people that kill.  It’s not cars that kill – it’s drivers that kill!  Don’t focus on the car.  Focus on the driver.

So who’s driving?  How’s she acting?  Does he fit one of our “bad driver” profiles?  What is he doing?  Who’s in the car with her?  How are the passengers behaving?  Does the driver at least look focused?

Needless to say, if we’re waiting at a green light for the driver in front of us to lift their eyes off of their lap, we can probably suggest that they’re texting.  Gotta’ treat them as if they’re blowing a 2.5 on the breathalyzer and keep distance at all cost! 

A cell phone glued to the ear?  Maybe it’s a hazard, maybe not.  It’s not politically correct but one could suggest there’s not much difference between a cell conversation and a conversation with a passenger — and you really don’t need two hands to safely operate a modern vehicle (although they should be quickly at the ready).  More importantly, what is the conversation about?  If it’s a calm relaxed conversation that’s not distracting the driver, cool.  If the driver is yelling and screaming with hands flying all over the place, duck for cover.  An intense business conversation requiring too much attention?  Also a danger. 

While we’re getting “up close and personal” with our fellow travelers, who else is in the car?  Are there kids in the car?  Pets?  Both have been known to unwillingly distract the best of drivers.  Even if the car is behaving well and the driver appears in control, it might be prudent to offer a tad more space.

What kind of conversation is the driver having with passengers?  Relaxed?  Animated?  Having a fight?  Clowning around?  Is the driver involved or is she ignoring the distractions and maintaining focus?  React accordingly.

Time for a quick thought.  We never want to judge others by our own limitations.  We’re all different people with different abilities.  Not every driver that we see chatting on the phone will be distracted.  I think of a trained pursuit driver who can engage in a 150 MPH chase while transmitting by radio or communicating with HQ via cell phone.  She’s skilled, not distracted.  She’s trained and capable of doing both.

The difference between multi-tasking drivers who become distracted and those who don’t is, “uhmm” – whether they’re distracted or not!  Some drivers can safely pull off multiple tasks while maintaining driver focus.  The distracted driver only “thinks” she can – but her concentration easily drifts from the road without her even realizing it.

How can you tell the difference?  The capable drivers are maintaining total road focus, regardless of what else they are doing.  They are ready to instantly drop any other activity and immediately zero in on a road problem if necessary.  It shows. 

The distracted driver doesn’t even know there’s a problem.  His focus has totally drifted from driving and he won’t even realize it until its too late.  If you’re eyeballing him, you’ll realize it!

So what’s the best way to defend against Distracted Drivers?  Elevate your Situational Awareness.  Look past the sheet metal and into the car. Make it personal.  Recognizing the Distracted Driver before he becomes a Road Emergency, may very well save your life!